


They Think We're Lovers (Kept Under Covers)

by theladyscribe



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Everyone Thinks They're Together, F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-14
Updated: 2015-03-14
Packaged: 2018-03-17 20:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3543290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladyscribe/pseuds/theladyscribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s, you know, an accident.</p>
            </blockquote>





	They Think We're Lovers (Kept Under Covers)

**Author's Note:**

> From this prompt from somanyfandomssolittletime: Maria/Steve, everyone thinks they’re dating and then they start wondering if they’re dating. Title is from Bonnie Raitt's "Let's Give Them Something To Talk About."

It’s, you know, an accident.

*

Steve takes supper to Maria one evening because he knows she’s been working her ass off for Stark but she still manages to find time to hunt up intel for the search for Bucky. He and Sam are in New York for a few days, on furlough while they wait for one of Maria’s contacts to get back to them. Sam has gone to dinner with his parents (“You’re welcome to come along, Steve, they’d love to meet you.” “You never get to see them, Sam. Go spend some time with your folks without me stealing the spotlight.”), so Steve orders takeout from the Cambodian place on 42nd.

Maria looks surprised but grateful to see him, and they spend the rest of the evening skimming through files over porkbelly sandwiches and Cambodian-style slaw.

*

A few months later, they’re in town again, recovering from a botched side mission in Estonia. By which Steve means that Tony (well, Pepper) has refused to lend them any means of transportation and has threatened to use JARVIS to keep them within the New York City limits if they so much as _think_ about taking off on their own. Steve would normally argue it more, but he is _weary_ , and having some real downtime is actually a good idea, especially because they have no leads and can’t do much but wait.

He’s in town long enough to have time to go _do_ things, and when he sees that Moving Image is having a Kurosawa retrospective, he sends out a mass invitation to the Avengers and Avengers-adjacent people in the city.

Maria is the only person who shows up at the lobby of Stark Tower, gushing that she absolutely loves _Throne of Blood_ and can’t wait to see it on the big screen.

The movie is great, and after, they walk around Astoria with gyros from a late-night food stand, Maria explaining Auteur theory and the influence of Kurosawa on modern Hollywood.

*

After they finally track down Bucky and deal with all of the paperwork of reestablishing his citizenship and his autonomy, there’s a presidential gala celebrating “the return of one of our greatest POWs.” Steve normally takes Natasha as his plus-one for these sorts of things, but Bucky has beat him to the asking (which amuses him to no end).

When he says something about it, Bucky says, “You’re not taking Maria?”

"Well, I suppose I will if she wants to go, but it’s not really her sort of thing."

Bucky frowns. “But if you’re dating her, shouldn’t she have been the first person you asked?”

Steve frowns back. “We’re not—”

He stops and thinks about it. Since getting Bucky back, he’s been working with Maria constantly on the business side of things, getting all the papers and documentation in order, making use of all her contacts across the political spectrum, spending countless evenings hunched over paperwork and takeout in her office. The few evenings that haven’t been spent this way have been spent going to the movies, walking and talking about nothing at all on the way to eat, and, once, a visit to MOMA. He supposes, from an outsider’s perspective, it might be mistaken for dating.

"We’re not dating," he says. "We’re just friends."

Bucky gives him a weird look. “Okay.” His voice sounds weird, and it takes Steve several minutes to realize it’s because it’s the tone he always used when he thought somebody (Steve) was lying about something (usually his health).

"Really," Steve insists, trying to keep his voice even while also starting to wonder if he believes his own words.

*

Maria warmly accepts his invitation to the gala, and he picks her up from her apartment in Long Island City because it’s polite.

"I’m not quite ready," she says as she lets him in, walking back down the hall toward—he assumes—the bathroom. "Make yourself at home."

"That’s okay, I was early," he says, glancing around her apartment. He’s not actually been here before; he’s walked her home a couple times, but this is the first time he’s been inside. It’s nice. Comfortable. Lived in.

He’s standing awkwardly in the living room when she reappears. “Alright, I’m good to go.”

He looks up and his breath catches. “You look—beautiful.”

Maria smiles. “Thanks.”

*

In the car on the way back from the gala, Steve says, “Y’know, Bucky thought we were dating.” He’s not sure where the words come from, and as soon as he says them, he regrets it, because Maria stills and goes very quiet.

"Did he?" she says after a long moment.

"I told him we’re not," Steve hurries to assure her. "That we’re just—"

"Just what?"

"Just friends." He glances at her, expecting one of Maria's inscrutable looks. Instead, she looks thoughtful. "We are, right? Just friends?"

Maria turns to look out the window at the city lights, but her hand finds Steve's on the seat between them. "Why don't you come up for a cup of coffee when we get to my place," she says as her fingers tighten around his.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Now I'm convinced that I'm goin' under](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7547051) by [Meatball42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/pseuds/Meatball42)




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